Flora of North America species comparison

The green links below add additional plants to the comparison table. Blue links lead to other Web sites.
enable glossary links

Packera crocata

Packera macounii

saffron ragwort

long-ray groundsel, Macoun's butterweed, Macoun's groundsel, Puget butterweed, Siskiyou Mountain ragwort, Siskiyou Mountains ragwort
Habit Perennials, 20–60+ cm; perennating bases horizontal to ascending (relatively long and stout). Perennials, 30–40+ cm; taprooted (caudices ± branched, becoming rhizomiform).
Stems

usually 1, rarely 2–3, clustered, glabrous.

1, sparsely to densely tomentose or glabrescent.
Basal leaves

(and proximal cauline) petiolate (petioles narrow);

blades narrowly lanceolate or ovate to oblong-ovate, 20–60+ × 10–40+ mm, bases abruptly contracted to tapering, margins subentire to crenate-dentate.

(and proximal) petiolate;

blades lanceolate to oblanceolate, 30–50+ × 10–20 mm, bases tapering, margins entire or shallowly toothed (slightly revolute).
Cauline leaves

gradually reduced (sessile, weakly clasping; lanceolate to oblong or sublyrate, often pinnately lobed).

gradually reduced (distal sessile, bractlike).
Peduncles

ebracteate or bracteate (bractlets inconspicuous), glabrous.

inconspicuously bracteate or ebracteate, sparsely tomentose to glabrate.
Ray florets

8 or 13;

corolla laminae (deep yellow to orange-red) 6–8+ mm.

8(–13);

corolla laminae 8–10+ mm.
Disc florets

60–80+;

corolla tubes 4.5–5.5 mm, limbs 2.5–3.5 mm.

30–40+;

corolla tubes 2.5–3.5 mm, limbs 2–3 mm.
Phyllaries

13 or 21, light green (or tips cyanic), 4–8 mm, glabrous.

13 or 21, green, 5–7+ mm, glabrous.
Calyculi

0 or inconspicuous.

0 or inconspicuous.
Heads

7–15+ in open, corymbiform arrays.

6–15+ in corymbiform arrays.
Cypselae

1–1.5 mm, glabrous;

pappi 3–5 mm.

1.5–2 mm, glabrous;

pappi 4–5 mm.
2n

= 46.

= 46, 92.

Packera crocata

Packera macounii
Phenology Flowering early Jul–mid Aug. Flowering early May–early Jul.
Habitat Wet meadows, along trails, rocky outcrops Along streams, roadsides, clearings, disturbed sites, rocky soils, coniferous woodlands
Elevation 1800–3500 m (5900–11500 ft) 400–1400 m (1300–4600 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
CO; ID; NM; NV; UT; WY
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
CA; OR; WA; BC
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Packera crocata is characterized by deep yellow to reddish orange corollas. Some collectors have noted that there may be evidence for hybridization between P. crocata and P. dimorphophylla; the relationship between the two species needs further study.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Packera macounii is similar in overall morphology to P. cana. Leaves of P. macounii are narrower and frequently revolute. It is often cited as being collected on serpentine soils; it is not restricted to them. Senecio fastigiatus Nuttall (1840) is a later homonym of S. fastigiatus Schweinitz ex Elliott (1823), a name of uncertain application.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Source FNA vol. 20, p. 583. FNA vol. 20, p. 591.
Parent taxa Asteraceae > tribe Senecioneae > Packera Asteraceae > tribe Senecioneae > Packera
Sibling taxa
P. anonyma, P. antennariifolia, P. aurea, P. bernardina, P. bolanderi, P. breweri, P. cana, P. cardamine, P. castoreus, P. clevelandii, P. contermina, P. cymbalaria, P. cynthioides, P. debilis, P. dimorphophylla, P. eurycephala, P. fendleri, P. flettii, P. franciscana, P. ganderi, P. glabella, P. greenei, P. hartiana, P. hesperia, P. hyperborealis, P. indecora, P. ionophylla, P. layneae, P. macounii, P. malmstenii, P. millefolium, P. millelobata, P. multilobata, P. musiniensis, P. neomexicana, P. obovata, P. ogotorukensis, P. pauciflora, P. paupercula, P. plattensis, P. porteri, P. pseudaurea, P. quercetorum, P. sanguisorboides, P. schweinitziana, P. spellenbergii, P. streptanthifolia, P. subnuda, P. tampicana, P. texensis, P. tomentosa, P. tridenticulata, P. werneriifolia
P. anonyma, P. antennariifolia, P. aurea, P. bernardina, P. bolanderi, P. breweri, P. cana, P. cardamine, P. castoreus, P. clevelandii, P. contermina, P. crocata, P. cymbalaria, P. cynthioides, P. debilis, P. dimorphophylla, P. eurycephala, P. fendleri, P. flettii, P. franciscana, P. ganderi, P. glabella, P. greenei, P. hartiana, P. hesperia, P. hyperborealis, P. indecora, P. ionophylla, P. layneae, P. malmstenii, P. millefolium, P. millelobata, P. multilobata, P. musiniensis, P. neomexicana, P. obovata, P. ogotorukensis, P. pauciflora, P. paupercula, P. plattensis, P. porteri, P. pseudaurea, P. quercetorum, P. sanguisorboides, P. schweinitziana, P. spellenbergii, P. streptanthifolia, P. subnuda, P. tampicana, P. texensis, P. tomentosa, P. tridenticulata, P. werneriifolia
Synonyms Senecio crocatus, Senecio pyrrhochrous, Senecio tracyi Senecio macounii, Senecio fastigiatus, Senecio fastigiatus subsp. macounii, Senecio leucocrinus, Senecio ligulifolius, Senecio spatuliformis
Name authority (Rydberg) W. A. Weber & Á. Löve: Phytologia 49: 46. (1981) (Greene) W. A. Weber & Á. Löve: Phytologia 49: 47. (1981)
Web links 
Unless otherwise noted, all data comes from the online version of the Flora of North America, who have made most of their content available via a Creative Commons license (CC BY 4.0).



Type/paste one or more Latin names into the boxes above; matching taxa will show up below the box as you type. You can use the up/down arrow keys to move through the list.

(If the plant you're looking for doesn't show up in the auto-complete list, that means it either isn't described in Flora of North America yet, or it's listed under a synonym. And please note that Flora of North America is still missing several plant families, including Fabaceae, Apiaceae, Boraginaceae, and Polemoniaceae.)

Choose a data source: Flora of North America, OregonFlora, UW Burke Herbarium

The species comparison tool is brought to you by:
Northwest Wildflowers